2020/07/23 by Stephan Leitner, Leitner, Stephan, Bartosz Gula +7
Computer Science · Physics and Astronomy · Social Sciences · #68Q11 #68T50 #68U35 #91B44 #91B70 #91E10 #91F20 #Complex Network Analysis Techniques #Dynamical Systems (math.DS) #FOS: Computer and information sciences #FOS: Economics and business #FOS: Mathematics #FOS: Physical sciences #General Economics (econ.GN) #H.4 #J.4 #J.5 #Misinformation and Its Impacts #Physics and Society (physics.soc-ph) #Sentiment Analysis and Opinion Mining #Social and Information Networks (cs.SI)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2007.12226
openalex publication_date 2020/07/23 · openalex created_date 2022/07/26 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Research on infodemics, i.e., the rapid spread of (mis)information related to\na hazardous event, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, requires the integration of a\nmultiplicity of scientific disciplines. The dynamics emerging from infodemics\nhave the potential to generate complex behavioral patterns. In order to react\nappropriately, it is of ultimate importance for the fields of Business and\nEconomics to understand the dynamics emerging from it. In the short run,\ndynamics might lead to an adaptation in household spending or to a shift in\nbuying behavior towards online providers. In the long run, changes in\ninvestments, consumer behavior, and markets are to be expected. We argue that\nthe dynamics emerge from complex interactions among multiple factors, such as\ninformation and misinformation accessible for individuals and the formation and\nrevision of beliefs. (Mis)information accessible to individuals is, amongst\nothers, affected by algorithms specifically designed to provide personalized\ninformation, while automated fact-checking algorithms can help reduce the\namount of circulating misinformation. The formation and revision of individual\n(and probably false) beliefs and individual fact-checking and interpretation of\ninformation are heavily affected by linguistic patterns inherent to information\nduring pandemics and infodemics and further factors, such as affect, intuition\nand motives. We argue that, in order to get a deep(er) understanding of the\ndynamics emerging from infodemics, the fields of Business and Economics should\nintegrate the perspectives of Computer Science and Information Systems,\n(Computational) Linguistics, and Cognitive Science into the wider context of\neconomic systems (e.g., organizations, markets or industries) and propose a way\nto do so.\n